Life's What You Make It
by HermioneRose
Summary: With the Sharpay rumor behind them, Troy and Gabriella seem to be super couple again. But, what happens when a girl that is even meaner than Sharpay gets her claws on everyone's boyfriend, including Troy? Troyella.
1. Birthday Surprises

**Author's Note: Like I said in Step By Step, sequels are not often good (ahem..but, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 IS!!!), and if this story seems really out of wack, forgive me. Dedicated to musicfreak1107 and Fonzie101 for all their kind reviews! You guys really make my day!**

**Chapter One: Birthday Surprise**

"Do you think she'll like these? My mom told me that their the hottest toys." Troy Botlon stated, as he and his girlfriend, Gabriella Montez, drove up the Lava Springs driveway, where everyone was meeting, including the Wildcats' favorite baby-sitting charge, Lily Jacobs.

"Oh, I'm sure she will! She'll love you forever, Troy. Especially after you gave her those golf balls." Gabriella replied as they got out of Troy's car, and walked into the Lava Springs. Today, the Wildcats weren't working, and they were just simply enjoying the Lava Springs as guests.

They heard voices coming from the lounge, and Gabriella smiled when she realized one of them was Lily Jacobs, with a mixture of Ryan and Sharpay Evans, Haylie Anderson, Zeke Baylor, Jason Cross, Kelsi Nielsen, Chad Danforth, and Taylor McKessie.

The gang was all there, except for Gabriella and Troy, of course.

"Troy!"

Gabriella stiffled a giggle as Troy was knocked down to the ground by Lily, who always did this for some reason with the Wildcat basketball team, but even more so to Ryan, who had taken the title of being Lily's big brother.

"Lily! You really need to stop doing that!"

Gabriella glanced up as Haylie Anderson came out of the lounge to see what was going on.

"No, it's okay, Haylie." Troy replied, as Gabriella picked up Lily, and Troy got up, while grabbing his goodie bag in the progress.

"What's in the bag, Troy?" Lily asked, pointing to the bag.

"I'll show you when we get into the lounge." Troy said as Lily smiled, toying with Gabriella's T necklace that was around her neck.

When the three came into the lounge, Chad walked over to them.

"It's about time you got here! What took you so long?" he asked.

"Troy had to make sure Lily got another present." Gabriella stated, as she gently placed Lily down, as she went over to sit between Ryan and Haylie.

Chad glanced at Troy as he smiled.

"Dude, your worse than Ryan! Your going to spoil her!"

Troy laughed as he said, "What can I say?"

They then went over to Ryan, Haylie, and Lily, and Troy pulled the surprise out of the bag.

"Here, Lily. These are called clackers. They clack when they knock into another." Troy explained as he showed the little girl how the toy worked.

Ryan looked at the toy as Lily played with it, laughing.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" he asked, and Haylie shook her head.

"Because Troy thought of it first, of course."

"Thanks, Troy!" Lily stated.

"Anytime, Lily." Troy explained.

Towards the middle of their party, Sharpay had Ryan go out for a minute, and she closed the doors behind him, and she then faced the group of Wildcats, who held a confused expression on their face, except for Haylie.

"Okay, you all may not know this, but Ryan's birthday is coming up, and I want it to be a total surprise."

Everyone just looked at her, their confusion turned to shock.

Since when did Sharpay ever care about someone other than herself?

Or perhaps Zeke had something to do with it?

Sharpay looked at them with a sour expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um...Sharpay...I don't mean to sound rude, but...have you always thrown Ryan a surprise birthday party?" Taylor asked.

"Of course! We do it all the time." Sharpay said briskly.

Of course, they heard about the parties Sharpay had threw, birthday parties or not, and they knew that besides Sharpay's personalities and Ryan's hats, Sharpay's parties were legendary.

"Look, since Mom and Dad are going to be out of town on the day of Ryan's birthday, I promised them that I'll throw Ryan's party here at the Lava Springs, and you all can help me. So, who's in?" she asked, and every Wildcat raised their hand, and Sharpay smiled.

"Good." she stated, and they wrapped up their conversation when Ryan came back, having an expression on his face like he missed something important.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" he asked.

"Not really." Haylie stated, as Gabriella smiled.

Even a girlfriend knew how to keep her secrets from a boyfriend.


	2. The Other Sharpay

**Author's Note: Here's chapter two! Enjoy! **

**Chapter Two: The Other Sharpay**

"Come on, Lilly. It's time for your swimming lesson." Gabriella told her as the small girl laughed at the green balls that clacked together.

Lilly looked up from her toy to look at Gabriella, and she frowned.

"Do I have to?" she asked, and Gabriella smiled.

"Yes, you do." Gabriella stated as Lilly left the toy on the pool chair, and took hold of Gabirella's hand.

For a few weeks now, Mrs. Jacobs had asked Gabriella if she was willing to teach Lilly how to swim, and Gabriella said she would be delighted too.

Unforunately, noone told Gabriella that Lilly was afraid of deep water.

Lilly stared at the water, and looked at Gabriella with a fearful expression on her face.

Gabriella situationed herself so she was Lilly's height.

"Hey, it's not that scary, Lilly. I go in there all the time, and I'm a lifeguard. I promise nothing will happen to you."

"Promise?" Lilly asked.

"I promise." Gabriella explained, and Lilly smiled just a little bit, and she let Gabriella lead her towards the pool steps.

Once they were in the water, Gabriella started out with a simple swimming exercise that'll help Lilly ease out her fears.

"Okay, Lilly, do you know how to do a doggy paddle?" Gabriella asked, and Lilly giggled.

"What's a doggy paddle?"

"Here's I'll show you."

Gabriella demostrated the doggy paddle to Lilly, and Lilly laughed, "You look just a like a puppy!"

Gabriella watched as Lilly swam like a dog, splashing everywhere, and laughing, while Gabriella splashed her back, making Lilly laugh even harder than she did before.

It wasn't long before Gabriella and Lilly had to get out of the pool, and they had to get out, to Lilly's dismay.

While Gabriella was drying Lilly off, a voice said, "Did you know that my pool chair?"

Gabriella turned around to see a girl about her age standing before her, with a frown on her face.

The girl looked no more than eighteen, the same age as the Wildcats. She was slightly taller than Gabriella, but you couldn't really tell by the way she was wearing flip-flops, and she had bright green eyes with raven locks, an odd, yet striking combation for a girl, in Gabriella's opinion.

"Um, I didn't know." Gabriella said, taking Lilly off the chair, while the girl glared at her through her sunglasses.

"Typical! Just I need around here: idoitic staff!"

Gabriella frowned, and asked, "Excuse me, but can you tell me your name? I don't think I've seen you around here."

"Oh...well, my name is Crystal Zimmerman. I'm one of Sharpay's friends."

Gabriella blinked.

Sharpay never mentioned anything about a best friend: the only friend she claimed to have was Ryan, unless Crystal was one of Sharpay's many "groupies" who hung on her every word.

"I don't think Sharpay ever mentioned you to--"

Gabriella was careful not to say _us_, as stating, the Wildcats. Even though Sharpay was dating Zeke, Sharpay was still the snappy seaturtle around the Wildcats.

"--I mean, she never mentioned you." Gabriella replied, and Crystal raised an eyebrow.

"She knows me. As well as Ryan, but I doubt he remembers what I look like. He can be pretty slow when he wants to be."

For some odd reason, Gabriella's face flushed with anger.

"Ryan isn't slow...he can be smart." Gabriella stated.

"Whatever. Listen, are you going to leature me, or are you going to leave me alone?" Crystal barked.

Lilly tugged at Gabriella's towel.

"Gabriella, I wanna go meet Troy!"

Gabriella smiled, and said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Crystal."

As Gabriella dropped off Lilly to the golfing course, Gabriella got dressed, and collasped in the lounge, wearing a frown on her face.

Crystal acted extremely like Sharpay, even though Sharpay hadn't been mean to anyone since she came back, but then again, Crystal could as well be a groupie.

Taylor, Haylie, and Kelsi came in just then, and when they saw Gabriella, they frowned.

"Hey. How did Lilly's swimming lesson go?" Haylie asked.

"Good. She learned the doggy paddle..but, I have to ask you something, Haylie...does Ryan know anyone by the name of Crystal?" Gabriella asked.

"No...I don't think so. Why?" Haylie asked.

"Well, she claims that she knows Sharpay and Ryan." Gabriella explained, not mentioning the part what Crystal said about Ryan.

"I'll ask Ryan, and Sharpay. If she claims that she knows them, then they must know her too."

"But, I think she's a groupie, though. Sharpay has alot of those." Taylor pointed out.

Gabriella nodded as she listened to her friends.

Somehow, Crystal was the new Sharpay, and drama would surely follow.


	3. Troy Meets Crystal

**Author's Note: Here's chapter three! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Troy Meets Crystal**

If Lilly didn't have autism, Troy would have made up a new diease for her: H, as in Hyperness. But, Lilly apparently did have those things, but it was more of the hyperness than the autism, and she wouldn't settle down.

"Lilly!" he stated, as Lilly giggled, and tried to run away from Troy's sight.

Of course, he could blame it on Gabriella for getting her so wound-up, but what kind of a boyfriend would he be if he did that?

"Okay, Lilly, if you aren't going to pay attention, we'll just have to cancal our golfing lesson for today." Troy instructed, and Lilly halted, looking at him with a frown on her face.

"You wouldn't do that...would you?" she asked, and Troy smiled.

"I would, but if you pay attention, I won't have to." Troy stated.

"Okay! I'll pay attention!" Lilly said, sitting on the grass, and Troy positioned himself so she could see him and what he was doing.

"Alright, today, I want you to show me what you did last summer: with me, and what Ryan had taught you too."

He failed to mention Sharpay on purpose, and it looked it like Lilly forgotten about her third helper.

"That's a long time ago! How am I suppose to remember all of that?" she asked, and Troy chuckled.

"Trust me, you will." Troy explained as Lilly got off the grass, and directed herself infront of the white stick, with the golf ball on it.

"You handle that little girl quite well, I see. I could never do that."

Troy tore his eyes away from Lilly to look behind him to see a girl about his age standing there with a smile on her face.

"Well, part of it is that I like her, and she grows on you." Troy said, still keeping an close eye on Lilly, but still looked at the girl.

"Interesting. I hope I'm not interupting anything."

"No, your not. I'm just showing Lilly how to golf." Troy explained.

"My name is Crystal Zimmerman. What about you?" the girl, now known as Crystal, asked.

"Troy Bolton. Have I seen you around before?" Troy stated.

"Well, I do go to East High, and I hang around Sharpay and Ryan alot, so maybe you saw me?"

Troy vaugely remembered Crystal hanging around Ryan and Sharpay, but he nodded anyways.

"So, are you a senior, I'm guessing?" he asked.

"Yes, that's right." Crystal replied.

There was a pause before Crystal asked, "So, how do you know Sharpay?" she asked.

Troy looked abit startled, but he smiled as he pictured the blonde girl.

"I've known her since preschool. Ryan, too. Actually, I've known everyone since preschool besides Gabriella Montez and Haylie Anderson." Troy commented.

"Oh...was she was girl I met earlier? By the pool?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah. She's a fellow lifeguard here. She's also my girlfriend." Troy said, and he saw that Crystal had a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing. But, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Troy."

When she walked off the golf course, Troy just looked after her, thinking that was one of the weirdest conversations he had with anyone.

"Troy! Look! I made a hole in one!"

Troy snapped out of his daydream to look at Lilly's excited face.

He then looked at T that had fallen, and he smiled.

"Nice work, Lilly. Did you know everything?" he asked.

"Yeah." Lilly said, as she setted up the T again, while Troy went to go get her another golf ball.

"Troy, I saw that girl when I was with Gabriella." Lilly informed him.

"Oh, yeah. Is she nice?" Troy asked.

Lilly shrugged, and hitted the golf ball.

"I don't know. But, she said some things about Ryan, though." she explained.

Troy cocked an eyebrow at this, but he didn't try to pry any information out of the little girl.

It looked like the Wildcats had another Sharpay on their hands:

One that was meaner than any Mountain Lion.


	4. Crystal, The Boyfriend Stealer

**Author's Note: Here's chapter four! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Four: Crystal, The Boyfriend Stealer**

"Mom, I really want to get Ryan something...no, not _that_!" Haylie explained, her nose wrinkling in digust as Gabriella tried not to laugh. During their lunch, Haylie called up her mother to ask what kind of a present she should get Ryan, and Mrs. Anderson wasn't helping any.

"But, the thing is, I don't want to get him another hat, because he has tons of those..maybe your right." Haylie contuined on, as Gabriella took a drink of her water. Listening to Haylie and her mother talk was just like her and Mrs. Montez. It was funny, yet it showed how deep Haylie's relationship went with her mother.

"But, I should probably go...I'll see you later. Yeah, I love you too. 'Bye, mom." Haylie replied, and she shut the phone, and glanced at Gabriella.

"Why am I the worst girlfriend in the world?" she asked.

"You are not. Stuff like this happens. Besides, you've only been with Ryan for awhile now, so it's natural for you to feel this way." Gabriella advised.

Haylie tugged at her ponytail, and frowned.

"But, I really want to give him something special...not another unordinary gift that he's going to get from another person." she explained.

Gabriella had been in this spot when she was with Troy, and when it was his birthday, Gabriella wanted to give him something, but Troy denied the whole thing.

Maybe that's what Ryan would do to if Haylie asked.

Or maybe he already did.

"Haylie, did you ask Ryan what he wanted?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course not. That'd be like asking him what he wants for Christmas!" Haylie explained, and Gabriella laughed.

"I guess that's true." Gabriella said.

Suddenly, Haylie had a grin on her face as she looked at Gabriella.

"I got an idea! I was baby-sitting Lilly one day, and I came across a show where a girl gives her friend a virtual scrapbook, and it had pictures that represented special moments: when they were young--"

"Wouldn't that be kind of hard to do?" Gabriella asked.

"As long as I have pictures, it'd be a pinch...except, I'm not really that computer savvy." Haylie said.

"Don't worry. We can help you. Somehow." Gabriella stated, and Haylie gave her a hug.

"Thanks so much Gabby!"

Suddenly, the door to the lounge flew open, and Sharpay walked in, wearing a scowl on her face.

"Sharpay, what's the matter?" Gabriella asked.

Sharpay opened her mouth to speak, but then it closed again.

"Your scaring us, Sharpay. What's the matter?" Haylie asked.

"It's this...girl, Crystal. I saw her flirting with Zeke awhile ago." Sharpay managed to inform them.

"That's terrible." Haylie replied.

"It's not only Zeke. I saw her flirting with Chad, Jason--"

Haylie and Gabriella looked at each other.

"--plus Ryan and Troy. I swear, she's like one of those--"

"Wait...did you say Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. While he was teaching Lilly how to golf, I saw them talking." Sharpay explained.

Gabriella blinked, and Haylie shook her head.

"Sharpay, are you lying to us?" Haylie asked.

"No! Of course not! I saw her with everyone's boyfriend. And when I talked to Zeke about it, he said that she was just making small talk. She was probably doing that with the others too." Sharpay commented.

"This is not good. It's like one of those girls at my school. Flirting with every guy she sees, even if he is taken. Sharpay, does this girl look familiar to you? Because Gabriella told me she knew you and Ryan." Haylie stated.

"I never seen that girl in my life! She told me she went to East High, and is a senior, but I never saw her in the auditorium, or at school."

"Yeah, but there's alot of students at East High. She could be telling the truth." Gabriella responded.

"I don't care if she is!" Sharpay explained.

Both Gabriella and Haylie sighed as Sharpay looked at them.

"So...what are we going to do?" Haylie asked.

"Well, if the problem presists, we can just ask her to stop." Gabriella replied, and Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Clever. That is so childish!" Sharpay commented.

"Do you have any ideas, then?" Gabriella asked as she and Haylie looked at her.

"We can always--"

The door opened just then, Zeke came in, carrying a plate with pieces of chocolate cake.

"Hey. I thought you might be hungry, so--"

"Cheater!" Sharpay said, glaring at him, and then walking out of the room, with a confused Zeke to ask, "What was that all about?"


	5. Under A Spell

**Author's Note: Here's chapter five! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: Under A Spell**

Troy had heard from the other guys that every one of their girlfriends called them a cheater (and possibly a liar), and Troy was worried that Gabriella would do the same. But, knowing they had gone through this once, Troy was certain to convince Gabriella that he didn't like Crystal that way if she had any ideas.

But, today, Troy didn't have to confront Gabriella because they were working again today, and Troy had the unforunate task of teaching Lilly how to golf again.

As they sat down to rest for awhile on the blanket that Troy had setted up on the grass, Lilly asked, "Troy, do you like Crystal more than Gabriella?" while she played with her clackers (her new obsession, and Ryan blamed Troy for it), while Troy read a book that Gabriella had given him.

Troy looked up suddenly from his book to the little girl, who apparently got abit too nosy in the Wildcats' love lives.

"Of course not, Lilly. I love Gabriella." Troy stated, feeling abit silly for talking to a four year old about his love problems, but everyone loved Lilly, so why should he feel silly?

"Because Ryan told me she has been talking to everyone, and Sharpay called Zeke a cheater, and apparently everyone got mad at their boyfriends." Lilly explained the best she could, and Troy smiled.

"Well, rest assured, Lilly, I won't fall for Crystal and her tricks." he replied, and that made Lilly smile.

"That's good to hear."

Troy and Lilly turned around to find Gabriella standing there.

"Gabriella!" Lilly said, running over to her, and hugging her legs, and Gabriella laughed, picking up the small girl.

"Hey, Gabby." Troy replied as Gabriella settled down on the blanket, and let Lilly get back to her toy.

"Hey. I heard what you said to Lilly.." Gabriella stated, as she looked at Lilly, who was grinning at the bright green balls.

Sooner or later, she'll have to retire the toy, but knowing Lilly, she wouldn't.

"Oh, yeah. But, everything is true." Troy stated, taking Gabriella's hand, but Gabriella's smile turned into a frown.

"But, I heard what Sharpay said about Crystal and flirting with every guy here." Gabriella explained, and Troy frowned.

"And if she was? Look, you can't find more loyal guys than the Wildcats and Ryan. That's a fact." Troy said.

"You guys will fall for her! I just know it!"

Troy realized that she was almost about cry, and Troy lifted her chin up she could look at him.

"I promise I won't fall for her."

Gabriella's frown turned into a small smile.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They were leaning into kiss when a voice shouted,

"Get a room!"

Troy and Gabriella looked as Lilly just sat there, grinning.

Troy crawled over to her, and grinned, while he tickled her.

"What did I tell you about listening to other people's conversations?" he asked, as Lilly laughed, while Gabriella couldn't help but laugh also.


	6. Crystal Causes Trouble

**Author's Note: Here's chapter six! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Six: Crystal Causes Problems**

Everyone was in a foul mood, except for Haylie and Gabriella, who were trying to work on Ryan's virtual scrapbook, but wasn't going as well. When Haylie said she wasn't computer savvy, she really ment it.

"With all my mistakes, were never going to get this done! Maybe I should just give him a hat." Haylie explained, and Gabriella smiled.

"No, of course not! Were getting this done, and I know Ryan's going to love it!" Gabriella insisted, as she uploaded the song that was going to go with it: You And Me Together, which was declared as the couple's theme song, and it fit perfectly with Haylie's gift.

"Well, atleast someone's relationship is going well!" Sharpay huffed as she glanced over at the two girls.

"Sharpay, Zeke said he we sorry. Also Chad and Jason." Gabriella stated, as she looked at Kelsi and Taylor, who wore simliar expressions like Sharpay.

"Why should we believe two timers?" Taylor asked, and before Gabriella could awnser her question, Crystal came in carrying a cup of coffee, and the three girls looked at her as if she committed the greatest crime.

"Hey, ladies!" she chirped, but she got no response from the other girls, especially Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay.

"Hey, Crystal." Gabriella replied weakly, and Haylie gave her a welcoming nod.

Crystal walked over to where Gabriella and Haylie were, and she smiled.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"A present for Ryan. He has a birthday coming up." Haylie explained, and Crystal nodded.

"That's cool." she replied, but as she leaned closer, a splash of coffee spilled on to the keyboard, making the computer go competely black, and Haylie froze in mid type, as the girls just watched her.

"What.." Haylie said, and her face crumbled.

"Oops! Oh, I'm so sorry, Haylie!" Crystal stated, and Haylie didn't respond.

"It's okay, Haylie. I'm sure--" Gabriella explained, but Sharpay got up, and got into Crystal's face.

"Gabriella, don't be such a goody-two-shoes! It's obvious that Crystal is making trouble for everyone! Isn't that right?" she asked.

"Please! How can you be friends with these losers, Sharpay? I thought you were cool." Crystal replied.

"My boyfriend is a _loser_, Crystal. My brother is a _loser_. And these friends of mine? They are _losers_ as well. Then, that makes me a _loser _too." Sharpay stated, and everyone was quiet. Sharpay never stood up to anyone, but as stated before, it was probably Zeke that made her go into a total personality change.

"Your right. None of you deserve the boyfriends you have..." Crystal threaten, as she looked around at the sulken faces on every girl's face.

"And you, Gabriella Montez, don't deserve--"

"Hey, everyone!" Troy said, coming into the lounge, while he had Lilly by the hand, who was holding her clackers in the other.

"Troy! Lilly!" Crystal explained, walking over to them, and she gave both of them a smile.

But, what happened next shook them: as Crystal bent down to Lilly's height to give her a hug, Lilly yelled, "Get away from me! Your a mean person!"

Crystal's smile was strained as she stood up, and said, "Aw, ain't she cute? Kids." she replied, as she flounced out of the room.

As Gabriella watched her go, she finished Crystal's sentance in her mind:

She didn't deserve Troy.


	7. All That Glitters Is Not Gold

**Author's Note: Here's chapter seven! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven: All That Glitters Is Not Gold**

After the accident that occured in the lounge (well, Troy wouldn't really call it an accident, because Lilly's autism limited to her to fear people she didn't really know, and he thought that Crystal knew that), Troy decided to talk to Crystal about it.

He found her sitting outside under a tree, reading a magazine, one that Sharpay would normally read. Even though Crystal disliked Sharpay, it still seemed like that Crystal was still a loyal follower.

"Hey, Crystal." Troy stated, and Crystal looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Troy. I was just thinking about you." Crystal replied, setting aside the magazine.

"Um...yeah. But, listen, I'm really sorry about Lilly the other day. See, she has this autism that makes her afraid of strangers, or people in general she doesn't know that well--"

"Troy, I'm over that. Lilly had every right to say that to my face. I understand." Crystal explained, and Troy sat down on the grass, giving her a smile.

"Really? That's awesome." Troy said.

Crystal nodded, and scooted closer to him.

"Troy, why do you like Gabriella?" Crystal asked, and Troy thought that was the stupidest question.

"Well, she's--"

But, Crystal didn't give him a chance to start, because the minute he spoke, Crystal locked her lips on his, and for a moment, Troy found himself actually enjoying it, until a voice broke the trance: and not just any voice neither.

"Troy!"

Troy and Crystal pulled apart, and they looked up to see Gabriella glaring down at them, and Troy instantly got up.

"Gabriella--"

"You said you wouldn't fall for her. Isn't that what you told me?" Gabriella asked as they were away from Crystal.

"I can explain! I was just talking to her about Lilly, and--"

"Oh, I bet she wanted to! You know girls like that would never like a girl like Lilly, Troy. They are only interested in guys like you!" Gabriella stated, cutting him off.

Troy sighed, and gazed at the ground, figuring out what to say to her.

"I was never interested in her. Hontestly." Troy explained.

"That's what you told me the first time, Troy. Do you think I want to believe it for the second time?"

"No..I don't think so." Troy stated quietly. He really wanted to tell her that he didn't mean it for it to happen, and it was all Crystal's fault.

Beware the Mountain Lion!

Gabriella shook her head, and proceeded to the Lava Springs, with Troy tailing behind her, trying his best to explain to her.

"Gabriella, please! Just listen to me." \

"Why should I do that, Troy? To get my heart broken?" Gabriella almost shouted, which sent a few guests to look their direction.

Troy flinched, and before she turned around, Troy swore he saw a tear roll her cheek.

Chad, Jason, and Zeke came up to him just then, wearing grim frowns on their faces.

"Tough luck, man." Chad told him, and Troy had to agree:

Tough luck.


	8. Gabriella's Tears

**Author's Note: Here's chapter eight! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: Gabriella's Tears**

For a few days, Gabriella tried her hardest to cry as she, Taylor, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Haylie got ready for Ryan's party, which should be any day now. Lilly was busily working at a small table that they set up for her while they worked, and the blonde-haired girl glanced up every now and then to see what they were doing.

"What's wrong, Gabriella?" Lilly asked as Gabriella sat near the little girl, when Taylor, Sharpay, Haylie, and Kelsi went to go get more party stuff.

Gabriella smiled, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Nothing that concerns you, Lilly. Go back to coloring your picture."

"Gabriella, your my friend. Friends tell each other what's wrong." Lilly stated, placing down her crayon, and looked at her.

"Lilly, you don't want to hear what I've been through." Gabriella explained.

"Of course I do! Pretty please with sugar on top?" Lilly asked, and Gabriella finally laughed.

"Alright, you win." Gabriella replied, and unlike Troy, Gabriella didn't feel silly for talking to a four-year old about her love life, and Lilly was no different than any of her friends.

"I saw Troy kissing another girl, and..."

"But, you and Troy are the super-couple! King and queen!" Lilly stated.

Gabriella looked at the younger girl, startled.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"Super-couple. Isn't that you and Troy are?" Lilly asked.

"Oh, Lilly. That's just a nickname. Were not actually a super-couple." Gabriella told her.

"You are to me." Lilly replied.

"Lilly, you say that to everyone! Including Sharpay and Zeke." Gabriella pointed out.

"No, I don't! If you and Troy break up, everyone else will do the same because you guys are their friends." Lilly explained, and held up the picture she was coloring, and handed it over to Gabriella to see.

The picture had two stick figures on it, one was obviously Troy, and one was Gabriella, holding hands, with a heart above their heads. Under the stick figures, Lilly wrote:

_Troy loves Gabriella, and Gabriella loves Troy._

"Lilly, that's very sweet of you. But, I don't think me and Troy are going to get back together."

"But, you have to!" Lilly said, and Gabriella looked at her.

"Lilly, I know you strongly want me and--"

"She's right, you know."

Gabriella turned to see Troy standing in the doorway, with a smile on his face.

"How much have you heard?" Gabriella asked him, and Troy came into the room.

"Just enough. So, you don't want to get back together?" he asked.

"Well, only if you don't want to..." Gabriella stated.

"Gabriella, I've been wanting to get back together all day! Why don't you want to get back together?"

"Troy, you _promised_ me you wouldn't fall for Crystal, and you did! You broke that promise!" Gabriella replied, on the brink of tears again.

"I know I did, but I certainly couldn't keep it for very long." Troy said quietly.

"Troy, when you promise someone, you have to keep it." Gabriella explained.

"I can't keep every promise, Gabby, and you know that. If I told you you have to promise me something, your going to break it, right?" Troy asked.

She knew she couldn't lie to him, so she nodded as she fought back the tears.

"I would...I'm sorry."

Troy sighed, and widen his arsm so Gabriella could get a hug from him.

Gabriella smiled as Troy kissed the top of her head, and they stayed like that for a few minutes before a small voice asked,

"Are you two back together now?"

They sprong apart, and they smiled as Lilly frowned, and Gabriella grinned.

"Yeah, Lilly. I think so."


	9. The Uninvited Guest

**Author's Note: Here's chapter nine! Enjoy! The last chapter will be up shortly!**

**Chapter Nine: The Uninvited Guest**

"I hope nothing's going to go wrong." Haylie stated as she sat on the stage in the big ballroom, as Gabriella sat beside her.

"Don't worry. Nothing won't." Gabriella promised her.

Of course, Gabriella knew everything will go alright, considering they placed alot of time into getting everything together, in all the mist of what had happened these past few days.

"Hey...me and the girls were really sorry about what happened to your present for Ryan, so we made you a new one." Gabriella stated, producing a small, wrapped package from her bag, and handed it to Haylie, who was smiling.

"Oh, no! You guys didn't have to do this!" Haylie explained, as she gave Gabriella a hug.

"We did. After what Crystal had done to your laptop, and all."

"But, how did you get the pictures?" Haylie asked.

Gabriella grinned.

"I asked Sharpay to steal Ryan's camera when he wasn't looking. Thankfully, he wasn't, and we uploaded the pictures." she replied.

"Well, this is really sweet. Thanks." Haylie said.

That's when Sharpay came through the doors, holding a list in her hand, and was wearing a frown.

"What's wrong, Sharpay?" Gabriella asked.

"Crystal just asked me if she could come to Ryan's party. I told her no, because it's a personal affair, and for his friends only, and of course his family, which is me. But, she told me she will ask Ryan herself--"

"No! She can't!" Haylie stated.

"Yeah, I know! She'll ruin everything." Sharpay said.

"Not unless we really get it through her." Gabriella suggested.

"Gabriella, I already tried that--it isn't going to work." Sharpay explained.

"Guys, come on. For all we know, she could be asking Ryan this very moment!" Gabriella replied, jumping off the stage, as Haylie and Sharpay followed behind her. They caught Crystal going into the lounge, and Gabriella stopped her.

"What?" Crystal asked, as she turned to face the three girls.

"Your not invited to Ryan's party. Sharpay told you so." Gabriella explained, and Crystal frowned.

"Seriously. I should be invited! Why can't I be?" she asked.

"Hello! Personal affair! Which means you can't come because Ryan doesn't know you!" Sharpay replied.

"So what? People crash parties all the time. I can come if I want."

"Crystal, listen! Were trying to tell you can't come!" Haylie protested.

"And I'm saying I can."

"Well, I'm saying that if you do, I will call the security guards on you. You do know you don't own this resort, right? Because your sounding like you do." Sharpay explained.

"Sharpay, your _grandparents_ own this resort!" Crystal stated, and Sharpay nodded.

"Yes. That's because they are _Evans_, Crystal. And I'm an Evans, and so is Ryan. Even if we are too young to run this resort, we still have rules. Here's one I made up just for you: If you ever step foot in the ballroom, or try to make trouble for either of my friends, their boyfriends, or even go near Lilly, you are banned from the resort." Sharpay snapped, and Crystal's eyes widen, and she recoiled.

"But--but..you can't do that! I'm a member!" she sputtered.

"So are we." Haylie explained.

"And what if I refuse to follow your rule? I will sue if you do." Crystal said.

"We'll see what we can do when we get there. As for now, stay out of our hair." Sharpay replied, and Crystal walked off in a mad huff, while Sharpay smiled.

"Sharpay...that was pure genuis!" Haylie annouced, while Gabriella nodded.

"Nice work, Sharpay." Gabriella agreed.

"Yeah. Well, if I didn't love my brother, I wouldn't let him have his party, right?" Sharpay asked, as they headed back to the ballroom.


	10. Ryan's Birthday Bash

**Author's Note: Sorry if I didn't post the last chapter of Life's What You Make It. Enjoy the last chapter!**

**Chapter Ten: Ryan's Birthday Bash**

Finally, the day of Ryan's birthday has arrived, and Troy was actually glad. Crystal was gone, and things have gone back to normal, if that was ever possible.

Sharpay told them to mingle while she and Ryan were gone, but she also told them that someone had to keep watch, and tell everyone to hide. Of course, how could they in a big ballroom?

"When are we going to hide?" Lilly asked, and Troy gave her a smile.

"Soon, Lilly. We need to wait until Sharpay and Ryan come back." Troy said.

"I wanna hide now!" Lilly whined, and Troy's smile into a grin.

"Sorry, Lilly. You can wait." he explained, but she didn't have to wait for very long.

"They are coming! Hide." Zeke annouced, and Lilly clapped her hands while Tory picked her up, and carried her to his and Gabriella's spot, which was behind the curtains of the stage, and setted her down gently.

"Where's Gabriella?" she asked, and Troy placed his hand over her mouth.

"Shhh, Lilly! We don't want to ruin it." Troy stated, and Gabriella came to their hiding place.

She looked at Lilly, and then at Troy.

"Um..." she explained, and Troy shook his head, taking his hand off of Lilly's mouth.

"She might ruin our hiding place. Why did we have to have Lilly?" Troy asked, jokely, while Gabriella sat beside him, and smiled at him.

"Because I know how much you love Lilly, that's why." Gabriella replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before focusing her vision on Sharpay and Ryan, who were talking.

"Sharpay, what--"

"Surprise!"

That's when everyone jumped out, and Ryan had a shocked expression on his face.

"What's going on?" he asked, and Haylie giggled, giving him a hug.

"It's a surprise party, silly! For you! Sharpay set it up." she explained, and Ryan turned to his sister.

"You did this?" he asked, and Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Ryan, really. I'm not always that heartless, am I?" she asked, and Ryan grinned.

"I guess not." Ryan stated, as music started to play, and Haylie grabbed his hand, and they started to dance.

Other couples did the same, and after awhile, it became a high school dance, dancing to every song they knew, and dancing to every song they didn't know, and the girls (including Lilly) kicked off their shoes, and started to dance in their bare feet.

The party ended a few hours later, with everyone saying good-bye, while Gabriella and Troy stayed behind.

"So, do you think Ryan's party was a success?" Troy asked, as Gabriella laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think so. I loved his reaction when he saw Haylie's present! His eyes couldn't get any wider." she stated, and Troy laughed, remembering Ryan's expression.

"Yeah. I know." Gabriella agreed, nodding her head.

They stayed like for a few minutes before Troy said, "Come on. I promised your mom I'd bring you home after Ryan's party."

As they walked towards Troy's car, Troy decided that life was complicated: with or without drama.


End file.
